The invention is directed to providing a means of delivering stereoscopic media on and off the Internet. In particular the invention provides a means of encoding stereoscopic media, transmitting and storing stereoscopic media, displaying stereoscopic media, and providing helpful tools for viewing the media.
Stereoscopic images have been in use for hundreds of years. Recently stereoscopic images, and other forms of stereoscopic media like animations and video, have been converted to electronic form for display on personal computers, the Internet, and on other electronic media like CD-ROMs. Stereoscopic media has been successfully used in numerous applications ranging from medical imaging, to entertainment, to training, to electronic commerce.
Stereoscopic media and viewing systems can take on numerous formats. For example, there are several ways to encode a still stereoscopic 3D image including red/blue anaglyphic format, side-by-side, interleaved or line-alternate formats, etc. There are also numerous viewing systems available to viewing stereoscopic media: red/blue glasses, active shutter glasses, high-speed page-flipping graphics cards with shutter glasses, line-blanking viewing systems, cross-eye lens systems, etc. Many of these media and viewing formats are not compatible with each other. The fact that the stereoscopic media for these various systems is not compatible makes it difficult for a content developer, such as a CDROM developer, or Website developer, to support all of the stereoscopic viewing devices on the market.
Several patents contain background information for this disclosure. They include: U.S. Pat. No. 6,028,649 dated Feb. 22, 2000 and entitled xe2x80x9cImage Display Systems having Direct and Projection Viewing Modesxe2x80x9d; U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,159 dated Jan. 18, 2000 and entitled xe2x80x9cMethod and Apparatus for Producing and Displaying Spectrally-multiplexed Images of Three-dimensional Imagery for Use in Stereoscopic Viewing Thereofxe2x80x9d; U.S. Pat. No. 6,002,518 dated Jan. 14, 1999 and entitled xe2x80x9cPhase-retardation Based System for Stereoscopic Viewing Micropolarized Spatially-multiplexed Images Substantially Free of Visual-channel Cross-talk and Asymmetric Image Distortionxe2x80x9d; U.S. Pat. No. 5,844,717 dated Dec. 1, 1998 and entitled xe2x80x9cMethod and System for Producing Micropolarization panels for Use in Micropolarizing Spatially Multiplexed Images of 3-D Objects During Stereoscopic Display Processesxe2x80x9d; U.S. Pat. No. 5,828,427 dated Oct. 27, 1998 and entitled xe2x80x9cComputer-based Image Display Systems Having Direct and Projection Modes of Viewingxe2x80x9d; U.S. Pat. No. 5,760,827 dated Jun. 2, 1998 and entitled xe2x80x9cPixel-data Processing System and Method for Producing Spectrally-multiplexed Images of Three-dimensional Imagery for Use in Stereoscopic Viewing Thereofxe2x80x9d; U.S. Pat. No. 5,745,164 dated Apr. 28, 1998 entitled System and Method for Electro-optically Producing and Displaying Spectrally-multiplexed Images of Three-dimensional Imagery for Use in Stereoscopic Viewing Thereofxe2x80x9d; U.S. Pat. No. 5,7423,33 dated Apr. 21, 1998 and entitled xe2x80x9cElectro-optical Device for Selectively Transmitting Polarized Spectral Componentsxe2x80x9d; U.S. Pat. No. 5,680,233 dated Oct. 21, 1997 and entitled Image Display Systems Having Direct and Projection Viewing Modesxe2x80x9d; U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,203 dated Sep. 3, 1996 and entitled xe2x80x9cPixel Data Processing System and Method for Producing and Graphically Presenting Spatially Multiplexed Images of 3-D Objects for Stereoscopic Viewing Thereofxe2x80x9d; U.S. Pat. No. 6,031,564 dated Feb. 29, 2000 and entitled xe2x80x9cMethod and Apparatus for Monoscopic to Stereoscopic Image Conversionxe2x80x9d; U.S. Pat. 6,011,581 dated Jan. 4, 2000 and entitled xe2x80x9cIntelligent Method and System for Producing and Displaying Stereoscopically-multiplexed Images of Three-dimensional Objects for Use in Realistic Stereoscopic Viewing Thereof In Interactive Virtual Reality Display Environmentsxe2x80x9d; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,537,144 dated Aug, 16, 1996 and entitled xe2x80x9cElectro-optical Display System for Visually Displaying Polarized Spatially Multiplexed Images of 3-D Objects for Use in Stereoscopically Viewing The Same With High Image Quality and Resolution.
In order to facilitate the growth of stereoscopic 3D media in electronic form, an easy to use, multi-format delivery system is needed. This invention presents new stereoscopic media delivery system that includes means for encoding stereoscopic media, transmitting and storing stereoscopic media, displaying stereoscopic media, and providing helpful tools for viewing the media.
The preferred embodiment addresses the problem of delivering stereoscopic media in electronic form (images, videos, animations, object models, etc.). Firstly, it provides a single format with independent right and left channels (with an option for mixed or combined right and left channels) to represent the stereoscopic media. Secondly, it provides a means of displaying stereoscopic media inside a movable windowed area while eliminating pseudostereo conditions during movement. Thirdly, it provides automatic and manual optimization adjustments such as parallax shift adjustment, brightness control, color adjustment, and cross-talk reduction to the stereoscopic media based on viewing hardware, monitor size, and media content for optimal viewing quality. Fourthly, it provides seamless support for monoscopic (2D) viewing modes allowing delivery of said stereoscopic media in a normal 2D viewing mode.
These and other features of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of the drawings, detailed description, and appended claims and drawings.